Billions in Amtrak Improvements for Baltimore (and Elsewhere)

Taking the train is, theoretically, one of the most convenient ways to travel from Baltimore — but old tracks, dated equipment, and out-of-date trains often lead to delays and other annoyances.

That’s why it’s great news to hear that the Northeast Corridor–the stretch of rail between D.C. and Boston–is due for a $2.45 billion upgrade. The funds, which are coming in the form of a loan (the biggest ever, in fact) from the Department of Transportation, were announced last week by Vice President Joe Biden, himself an avowed fan of travel by rail.

Part of the money will go to replacing the stretch of track between Baltimore and New Carrollton. Amtrak will also invest in 28 new high-speed, state-of-the-art rail cars with more seats, plenty of outlets, and USB ports (and they’ll be for Acela only, alas). The trains will be ready to carry passengers by 2021. Then once we get that maglev train up and running, we’ll just have the snazziest rail corridor this side of Europe. A girl can dream, right?